Slavic legends about cats
Our ancestors considered the cat to be the animal of Veles, the god of cattle, agriculture and poetry. That's why we all know Kot-Bayun - a huge monster that sits on an iron pole and puts heroes to sleep with its tales, and then eats them. However, Bayun could be caught and tamed, then his tales became therapeutic for the owner.
In addition, cats in Slavic mythology have always been associated with the brownie and the ovinnik; both guardians could turn into cats or communicate with him. Both also loved milk, which cats willingly shared with them, preferring mice.
In Bazhov's tales, which preserved the Ural factory legends for us, the Earthen Cat is often mentioned. In the Urals it was believed that this beast lived underground, and only its red, fiery ears stuck out above the ground. Wherever such ears appear, the treasure is buried there. And this belief appeared, apparently, thanks to the sulfurous lights escaping from the mountain voids.
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No less interesting is the ancient Russian mythology associated with cats. The Slavs have a legend about an underground cat with fiery ears that guards treasures and scares away wolves. This legend is especially famous among Ural gold miners. And there are so many legends, customs and beliefs that the Russian people have about cats. Some of them are not only known to this day, but also play a big role in the lives of superstitious people who live according to signs. A cat can predict the weather, protect a house from evil spirits, prophesy the arrival of guests, and unmistakably distinguish an evil person from a good one. And in fact, many signs come true. Especially if you believe in them unconditionally.Proverbs and signs:
- A black cat shows its tail from the chimney (smoke) - A white cat climbs into the window (about the dawn sun) - A cat washes itself - to guests or a change in weather. - A cat lies with its belly up - towards warmth, hides its head - towards cold, fluffs its tail - towards a snowstorm. — The cat is plagued by the ninth death (about the vitality of cats) — The tongue is as lascivious as a cat — The cat would have blurted out, but his tongue is short
Cats are known to love affection, home warmth, cleanliness and comfort. At the same time, cats are the most independent and proud animals among those tamed by humans. Cats are people who are secretive, affectionate and deceitful.
If a cat is a pronounced female image, an animal that loves the comfort of home, then a cat is a free, wandering creature, the embodiment of lust and hidden power. The learned cat Bayun (storyteller) is a frequent guest of Slavic fairy tales. His sonorous voice scares away spirits for many miles around.
Cats are attached to the house more than anything, even more than to the owner. There have been cases where a cat remained in an old, cold house when people moved to a new one. In this way, cats resemble brownies, faithful to their corner until its complete destruction.
Black cats were considered assistants to sorcerers and witches, and meeting them was a bad omen. Witches rode around on cats and goats. A hostile spirit can enter a cat’s body to escape persecution or to enter a person’s home. In this form, a witch can ride a horse or even a person to death.
A werecat was also called a cat-cat. A cat, jumping over a dead man, will certainly turn him into a vampire. Whoever kills a cat will incur seven years of troubles and misfortunes.
The eternal confrontation between the cat and the mouse reflects the struggle between two forces - earthly and underground, accumulating and creative, dark and hidden (Veles) and heavenly, furious and renewing thunderstorm power (Perun).
Cat time is winter. Colors – black, white
A cat is a domestic animal, endowed with dual symbolism and various demonic functions in folk beliefs and often paired with a dog.
The cat is assessed ambiguously: both as a clean animal and as an unclean one. They say: “The cat’s fur is dirty, but its snout is clean; The dog’s snout is dirty, but its fur is clean”; “You can kiss a dog on the face, not on the fur; a cat, vice versa.” According to Bulgarian beliefs, the cat rejoices at the death of its owner, and the dog cries; The cat adds to the owner's torment in hell by fanning the flames under his cauldron, and the dog carries water and pours on the fire. Beliefs explain the origin of the Cat both from the devil and from the glove of the Mother of God. In the legend of the Flood, the Cat saves Noah's Ark by plugging its tail into a hole that had been gnawed by a mouse created by the devil. It is forbidden to kill the Cat, otherwise there will be no luck in anything. It is believed that if a person sleeps with a Cat, his mind will become clouded. It is dangerous to carry the Cat with horses, because it makes the horse dry out. Cats are not allowed into the church. Cats and dogs should not be allowed to eat food consecrated in church. However, the Poles sometimes gave them specially blessed bread and butter at Easter. This custom is explained by the popular idea that people have bread thanks to the Cat and the Dog: according to the widespread legend about the ear of bread, because of their disrespectful attitude towards bread, people now use bread, which God left only for the share of Cats and Dogs. It is a bad omen if a Cat (any cat, not just a black one) crosses the road or meets you on the way. For hunters and fisherman, a meeting with the Cat promised failure in fishing. In this regard, they tried not to mention the Cat during the hunt or called it something else (for example, casserole).
In the guise of a black Cat, evil spirits are often represented. At the same time, the Cat is believed to be able to see evil spirits invisible to humans. A devil may appear in the form of a Cat. In cat form they represent the souls of the dead, especially those who atone for their sins after death or did not die a natural death. Death is shown to young children in the form of a Cat. The black Cat was also seen as the embodiment of diseases: cholera and “cow death”. Russians believe that black cats and dogs protect the house from lightning, but they also consider it dangerous to have them in the house during a thunderstorm. This is explained by the belief that during a thunderstorm, God tries to strike the devil with lightning, and the devil hides from God, turning into a cat, dog or other animal. Ukrainians have a well-known story about how a forester, during a thunderstorm, saw a black cat that was not affected by thunder, and shot it with a blessed tin button. After this, St. appeared to him in a dream. George said that he killed Satan, who had been teasing the saint for seven years.
The cat has the characteristics of a domestic patron. Its presence in the house has a beneficial effect on the household and livestock. They believe that a stolen Cat brings happiness to the house. And there are no cats in an unhappy house. When moving to a new house, owners often let the Cat into it first, and only then move in themselves. Entering after her, the owner goes to the corner that the brownie should choose for himself. When a Cat is brought into a new home, it is placed on the stove next to the chimney, i.e. where, according to popular beliefs, the brownie lives. There are often stories about a brownie who turns into a Cat.
The cat is used in folk magic and medicine. They believe, for example, that a black cat has a miraculous bone. If obtained, it can make a person invisible or give him the ability to know everything. Anyone who, at midnight at a crossroads, pricks his finger with such a bone and signs his name in blood, will receive into his service a devil-brownie, who will bring stolen money, grain, milk from other people’s cows, etc. into the house. In some Russian provinces, in order to prevent the beginning of the death of livestock, it was considered necessary to bury the dead cattle in the barn along with the living Cat. To protect themselves from cholera, they drew a furrow around the village with a small plow, into which they harnessed a cat, a dog and a rooster, all of them black. The swollen udder of a cow was treated by scratching it with the claws of a domestic cat. A child suffering from consumption was bathed in a font together with a black Cat, so that the disease would pass on to the Cat. For a runny nose, you should sniff the smoke of a scorched cat's tail. White cat fur was used as a remedy for burns.
According to popular belief, a cat can have a beneficial effect on sleep. Therefore, the image of a cat, like a hare, is often found in lullabies. Before placing the baby in the cradle for the first time, a cat is placed there so that the baby sleeps soundly. The idea of the relationship between the Cat and the hare is noted among the Serbs, who believe that the hare descended from the Cat. In folk culture, the cat is a symbolic analogue of the bear, and the dog is the wolf. In East Slavic fairy tales, in Russian and Lusatian tales, an evil spirit, frightened by a bear (devil, kikimora, water bear, etc.), calls it “cat”. Russian peasants have a known way of summoning a forest spirit with the help of a cat - a “boletus”, which has a bearish appearance.
Scandinavian legends about cats
According to the Scandinavian Eddas, cats are the companions of the goddess Freya, the second oldest and most beautiful goddess of Asgard. The beautiful Freya, leader of the Valkyries, patroness of fairies and elves, loved to ride around the sky in a chariot drawn by two cats. These cats looked like lynxes - large, furry and with tufts on their ears. Apparently, the Norwegian forest cats, the national treasure of Norway, became their descendants.
In Iceland in the 19th century, a special legend about the terrible Yule cat appeared. This is a huge cat who lives with a cannibal who kidnaps lazy children. The Yule cat operates during Christmas time (Yule), eating anyone who has not managed to acquire a woolen new thing by this time. The legend was invented by parents so that their children would help them more actively in working with sheep and their wool - the main source of income for Icelanders.
Cats are servants of the Hermitage. Story
Since the founding of the museum, the Hermitage cats have been faithfully performing their service and protecting the cultural heritage of Russia from rodents. In our century, rats and mice could be fought with the help of chemicals, but it is impossible to deprive cats of work, since they have long become not only an integral part of the life of this museum, but also its legend, a kind of symbol. The staff themselves joke that they are asked about the Hermitage cats more often than about the exhibits. According to them, throwing “ermics,” as they are affectionately called, onto the street is the same as throwing a Rembrandt painting from the 10th floor.
The history of the “public service” of cats begins in the 18th century, when Tsar Peter I placed a huge cat, which he personally brought from Holland, in the Winter Palace. Later, on the orders of Empress Elizabeth, who was very afraid of small rodents, a batch of rat-catching cats from Kazan was delivered to the old palace.
Celtic legends about cats
The Shea Cat, found in Scottish and Irish legends, is a large black animal with a white spot on its chest. Apparently, myths about him appeared thanks to Kellas cats - semi-mythical hybrids of local forest cats and domestic cats brought to the world by Roman legionnaires. Shea the cat is neither evil nor good. He can steal the souls of the dead before they are buried, or he can bless the house where he was fed milk on Samhain. According to another version, Shi Cat is a werewolf witch; she can only take off the form of an animal 8 times. If he turns into a cat in the 9th, he will take on this image forever. This is probably why we believe that a cat has 9 lives.
Another mythical Irish cat is Irusan, the king of cats. Irusan once attempted to kill a famous minstrel, but Saint Ciaran threw a red-hot rod at the cat, killed him and saved the poet.
The Welsh triads preserved stories about Shapalu or Kota Paluga - a terrible beast who, with its enormous claws, terrified settlements and devastated crops. This cat was given birth to the pig Henwen, who, fearing his evil, threw her offspring into the sea. But Palug survived because the peasants he had eaten when he grew up came out and picked him up. Only Sir Kay, one of the knights of the Round Table, was able to defeat the terrible cat.
The goddess Caridwen, the goddess of rebirth, transformation and inspiration, also lived in Wales. Caridwen served - they transmitted her orders to the ground.
The British, among whom there were so many sailors and fishermen, had a legend about a sea cat. She definitely had to throw in some of the catch so she wouldn't get angry and cause a storm. The sea cat is a witch who once went on a boat with her fisherman fiancé. One of the sailors suggested throwing her overboard, since being a woman on the ship was not good. The witch got angry, summoned a storm that scattered all the ships and killed all the fishermen, and then nevertheless jumped into the sea, but this time herself and in the form of a cat.
They live in the sea and cause storms
Superstitious British fishermen throw a small portion of their catch back into the sea to please the cat. According to legend, this cat living in the sea was once a woman who practiced magic. She went sailing with her husband. During the voyage, the husband's comrades decided to drown the witch, because it was unlucky for a woman to be on board. It turned out that the woman was overboard - to even greater misfortune. The witch got angry and caused a storm that sank not only the ship with the sailors who drowned her, but the entire flotilla. Since then, the witch has lived in the sea in the form of a four-eyed cat.
Legends about Basque cats
In northern Spain and southern France, the Basques and neighboring peoples believe in the wonderful cat Matagot. Matagot is an evil creature that appears in the guise of a black cat. Actually, it eats Christians, but if you catch it, you can ensure a comfortable existence for yourself. You should lure the matagot with a fish or chicken, grab it and run home without turning around. And then you need to give him the first bite of every dish and the first sip of every drink and receive for this a gold coin a day. Just remember to release the matagot when you become rich enough, otherwise you will die long and painfully until you give the creature freedom.
By the way, it was probably the matagot that was the prototype of the famous Puss in Boots.
Cats of famous writers. Pixie and his Heinlein
Even as a fluffy kitten, Pete developed a simple philosophy in which I was in charge of shelter, food and weather, and he was in charge of everything else. He punished me especially strictly for the weather.
(c) R. E. Heinlein, “The Door to Summer”
The famous American science fiction writer dedicated more than one book to four-legged pets. His cats are independent, courageous fighters with carnivorous thoughts and complete unceremonious manners. “Cats are completely devoid of a sense of humor, they are excessively selfish and very touchy,” the writer believed, considering cats to be something like Martians among people. And yet, he adored his pets, delivered them, treated them, cared for them, and grieved when the time came to say goodbye.
I think the new book describes me as too plump!
Surprisingly, Heinlein was originally a dog lover, but did not understand cats and rather did not like them. Cats came into his life with his third wife, Virginia Gerstenfeld, a charming secretary who once said “yes” to her boss. Pixie was the first and their relationship with Heinlein went through all stages - from wary indifference to sincere deep affection. “The Door to Summer” and the magnificent cat Petronius Arbiter appeared after Virginia told her husband: in winter the cat goes around all the doors, trying to find the only one behind which it is warm and sunny. Pixie lived in the family for a long time and left numerous offspring. The cats Dot, Shammy and Bridey looked after the writer, in turn becoming prototypes for new tailed characters. The last descendant of Pixie, the cat Taffy, left his owner in 1978.
Greek legends about cats
The supreme Greek god Zeus loved women very much and did not miss a single skirt. One of his chosen ones was Queen Alcmene, who bore the god a son, Hercules. However, Hercules was born for seven whole days, because Hera forced the midwife goddess Lucina to delay the birth of Alcmene. The jealous wife of Zeus wanted Hercules' cousin to be born first in the Perseus dynasty, so that the throne would not go to the divine bastard. But one of Alcmene’s maids, the red-haired Galanthida, told Lucina that the son of Zeus had already been born, despite all her efforts to prevent this. The goddess fell for it and allowed Alcmene to be relieved of her burden for real. In revenge, the angry Hera turned Galanfida into a cat and exiled her to the underworld to live alone. But cats are cute, and Hecate, the patroness of witches, healers and crossroads, took pity on the former servant, and so the cat became involved in witchcraft. uh
The Greeks also had another cat goddess - Ailuros (Eiluros), as they called the Egyptian Bast, but they identified her with the Moon, and, therefore, considered her the nocturnal incarnation of Artemis. In one myth, Artemis even turns into a cat to escape from the Titan Typhon. The name of the goddess Eiluros gave the name to the fear of cats - eilurophobia.
Cats of famous artists. Cats and classical painting
Many “serious people” still complain to this day that we use the Internet, given to us for exchanging information, studying, and all kinds of personal development, to watch... pictures with cats. Well, high art is indeed not a product for everyone. However, some artists decided to combine business with pleasure, creating canvases and collages where the greatest paintings in world history are found with images of purring pets. Get ready, there is an increased level of beauty, cuteness and a little humor to suit your taste.
Frank Sofo, in his famous series, transfers cats to the canvases of Van Gogh and Monet, deliberately imitating the style of the great impressionists. Susan Herbert in her paintings recreates not only iconic masters like van Eyck, but pays great attention to classical literature in the person of Shakespeare and masterpieces of world cinema from Hitchcock, Sergio Leone and Wyler. Svetlana Petrova and her cat Zarathustra have nothing to do with artistic life at all, but their joint project, where photographs of the cat are combined with classic paintings, has every right to be here, because the fruit of the efforts of the cat lady and her “assistant” was noticed and even published abroad. Sol Felpeto, in turn, gravitates toward Picasso, to whom the artist’s personal series is dedicated.
Egyptian legends about cats
Today it is known for certain that cats were not domesticated in Egypt, but a little to the east - in the Fertile Crescent (from Mesopotamia to Anatolia). But only in the land of pyramids did these cute animals gain such impressive popularity. Of course, the main cat deity in Egypt was Bast, the patroness of women and the hearth. In addition, Bast was responsible for fertility and obstetrics, since cats have always been famous for their fertility and developed maternal instinct.
Also, the god Ra had a cat who helped him in the fight against the serpent Apep, so the cat in Egypt was associated with the sun, and its eyes, adjusting to the light, often served as a sundial.
The cats did not survive the blockade
The Hermitage cats survived the revolution, continuing to serve in the museum under the new Soviet regime. But they failed to survive the blockade. Then all the cats were eaten, and the city was filled with rats. Immediately after the end of the blockade, two carriages of cats were delivered to Leningrad from the central regions of the country. People from this echelon of cats formed the basis of a new detachment of rat catchers.
In the second half of the 60s, there were too many Hermitage cats. Cats began to move not only into basements, but into museum halls and corridors. The “Ermiki” became so impudent that they had to be driven out even from the imperial throne. A certain Muska ruined a very important document for the director of the museum. Then an order was received to rid the museum of cats, which was carried out. However, after a few years, they decided to urgently return the tailed animals to help the museum in the fight for cultural values.
Legends about Persian cats
In Persia (Iran) there are two legends about the origin of cats. The first is related to the saying “A lion sneezed and a cat was born.” One of the Persian historians wrote that the Creator, when creating the earth, forgot about cats, but did not forget about mice. The problem of lack of balance was clearly manifested in Noah's ark: mice multiplied during the journey and began to threaten the supplies designed for everyone. Then Noah asked the lion to sneeze, he obeyed and sneezed the cat. Stocks were saved.
Another Persian myth about cats is more ancient. One day, the hero Rustam, the hero of the Shahnameh epic, saved a magician from bandits. The magician, in gratitude, invited the hero to his tent and asked what to give him. Rustam was modest and said that he already had everything: the warmth of the fire, the pleasant smell of smoke and the starry sky above his head. Then the magician mixed smoke, fire and stars and handed Rustam a warm, smoky kitten, whose eyes shone like stars. This was probably the ancestor of the famous Persian breed.
Cat and cat among the Slavs
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Once upon a time, a Man decided to kick the Cat out of the house. “Wait a little,” the Cat asked and invited Leo to visit, as if he were a distant relative. The Lion came with great reluctance and suddenly saw the Man. - What is he doing here? - Leo was scared. “This is my servant,” said the Cat, “he walks on his hind legs and gets me food.” “Wow,” thought Lev, “what a servant she has!” “Wow,” thought the Man, “what a relative she has!” “Wow,” thought the Cat, and to this day she lives in the Man’s house.”
Lev Gavrilov. Fairy tale "Man and Cat"
One of the most mythical animals accompanying sorcerers and witches is the cat. And at the same time, the cat is sometimes endowed with supernatural abilities. Cat Bayun from ancient fairy tales, a remarkable Otherworldly spirit, appearing in the form of a cat walking up and down an iron pole, beating all the people, inducing an irresistible sleep and telling fairy tales (Afanasyev II, No. 215, 284).
The cat lives far away in the thirtieth kingdom or in a lifeless dead forest, where there are no birds or animals. In Pushkin’s fairy tale, Bayun walks along the chain from right to left, telling tales, singing, humming songs, enchanting, deluding, with his songs he could both enchant to death and cure diseases. His voice can be heard 7 miles away, it is like thunder. Whoever is not strong enough to resist his magic and succumbs to Bayun’s charms will perish irrevocably, but the daredevil who resists his songs will be healed—Bayun’s tales are healing—and given power over Bayun for a specified period. The appearance of a cat is used by both good and evil forces.
In the mythology of the Eastern Slavs, there are tales where either snakes or snake fighters turn into cats. The cat (Kot Kotovich, Kot Kotofeich) can be both an embodiment or an assistant of the snake and a snake fighter. Both of these functions are combined in the tale of Volya Volovich, who, after each battle with the snake, encounters “Kotishch, open your eyes,” threatening to eat him. Vol Volovich kills the Cat, puts on his skin and, under the guise of the Cat, enters Baba Yaga. In a Belarusian legend, the hero of a folk tale, Ivan Popyalov, who fought with a monster in the form of a snake, turns into a cat.
There was a legend that there is a Golden Cat and a Black Cat. The golden cat, the offspring of the Fire God, endowed its owner with wealth and harmony in the family, while the black one was the personification of Nedolya and brought nothing but troubles to a person.
At the same time, it was believed that a black cat at home could protect against evil forces and also bring good luck.
As popular belief says, a black cat can bring you an irredeemable ruble. To get it, you need to find a cat that does not have a single white spot, bring it on a moonless night to the crossroads of four different roads, one of which should lead to a cemetery, and then pinch the cat so that it meows. When a stranger approaches you and wants to buy your cat, ask for one ruble for the animal, which will be irredeemable. No matter how much you spend this ruble, it will always come back to you.
During the period of Christianization, black cats began to be credited with a connection with evil spirits, which was reflected in the beliefs of the people.
In Lithuania, there are legends that evil spirits can transform into a black cat with red eyes. In the Latvian tradition, a black devil with cow legs, when faced with thunder and lightning, turns into a black cat, trying to hide near a person.
Along with the magic cat, the Slavs had legends about cats. So in the Urals there is a legend about an underground cat, the Earthen Cat with fiery ears, which guards treasures and scares away wolves. This legend is especially famous among Ural gold miners. “In those places from Galyan to the Dumskaya Mountain itself, an earthen cat walks. She’s not harmful to our brother, but the wolves are afraid of her if she shows her ears” (Ural), “Then she remembered the earthen cat that the Sysert man had talked about. Dunyakha had heard before that in the sands, where copper is flecked with gold, there lives a cat with fiery ears. People have seen ears many times, but never seen a cat. She walks underground” (Ural). According to the legends of Russian gold miners, the Earthen Cat is one of the guardians of enchanted treasures. “...suddenly two blue lights flashed. Neither give nor take - cat ears. Wider at the bottom, gone to nothing at the top. She ran up - exactly, two fires were burning, and between them there was a small hill, like a cat’s head. Dunyakha marvels at how they burn, since no firewood is visible. She laughed, extended her hand, but didn’t feel the heat. Dunyakha brought her hand even closer. I throw the fire to the side, like a cat shaking its ear, and again it burns evenly. So I ran to the Chusovaya River, and my ears were already burning on the other bank” (P. P. Bazhov)
Also, among the ancient Slavs, a cat was a symbolic analogue of a bear, and a dog - a wolf. In East Slavic fairy tales, in Russian and Lusatian tales, an evil spirit, frightened by a bear (devil, kikimora, water bear, etc.), calls it “cat”. Russian peasants have a known way of summoning a forest spirit with the help of a cat - a “boletus”, which has a bearish appearance.
In the guise of a black Cat, evil spirits are often represented. A devil may appear in the form of a Cat. The souls of the dead appear in cat form, especially those who atone for their sins after death or did not die a natural death. A cat, jumping over a dead man, will certainly turn him into a vampire. The black cat was also seen as the embodiment of diseases: cholera and “cow death”. Death is shown to young children in the form of a cat. It was believed that werewolf witches could take the form of a cat; The werewolf-cat was called a catcat. According to Bulgarian beliefs, the cat rejoices at the death of its owner, and the dog cries; The cat adds to the owner's torment in hell by fanning the flames under his cauldron, and the dog carries water and pours on the fire. It was believed that black cats and dogs protect the house from lightning, but their presence in the house during a thunderstorm is dangerous. This is explained by the belief that during a thunderstorm, God tries to strike the devil with lightning, and the devil hides from God, turning into a cat or dog. They say: “The cat’s fur is dirty, but its snout is clean; The dog’s snout is dirty, but its fur is clean.”
Killing a cat is prohibited, otherwise there will be no luck in anything. Whoever kills a cat will incur seven years of troubles and misfortunes. It was believed that if a person slept with a cat, his mind would become clouded. It is dangerous to carry a cat with horses, because it makes the horse dry out. It is a bad omen if a cat (any cat, not just black) crosses the road or meets you on the way. For a hunter and fisherman, a meeting with a cat promised failure in fishing. In this regard, they tried not to mention the Cat during the hunt or called it something else (for example, casserole).
At the same time, a cat is able to see evil spirits that are invisible to humans. The cat has the characteristics of a domestic patron. Its presence in the house has a beneficial effect on the household and livestock. They believed that a stolen cat brings happiness to the house. And there are no cats in an unhappy house. When moving to a new house, owners often let the Cat into it first, and only then move in themselves. Entering after her, the owner goes to the corner that the brownie should choose for himself. A cat brought into a new house is placed on the stove next to the chimney, i.e. where, according to popular beliefs, the brownie lives. You can often hear a story about a brownie who turns into a cat.
In the old days they believed that a black cat or tom had a miraculous bone. If obtained, it can make a person invisible or give him the ability to know everything. Anyone who at midnight at a crossroads pricks his finger with such a bone and signs his name in blood will receive into his service a devil-brownie (the spirit of an enricher), who will bring stolen money, grain, and milk from other people’s cows into the house. In some Russian provinces, in order to prevent the beginning of the death of livestock, it was considered necessary to bury the dead cattle in the barn along with a live cat. To protect themselves from cholera, they made a furrow around the village with a small plow, into which they harnessed a cat, a dog and a rooster, all of them black. The swollen udder of a cow was treated by scratching it with the claws of a domestic cat. A child with consumption was bathed in a font with a black cat so that the disease would pass on to the cat. Before placing the baby in the cradle for the first time, a cat is placed there so that the baby sleeps soundly. . According to popular belief, a cat can have a beneficial effect on sleep. Therefore, the image of a cat, like a hare, is often found in lullabies.
It was also believed that cats and cats are tricksters, guides to the other world, which a person can penetrate only with the support of this beast. Therefore, sorcerers and witches often had purring translators as negotiators with the Otherworldly force, giving them a vision of another world.
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Chinese legends about cats
China had its own wild cats, and it seems they were domesticated there almost earlier than in Ancient Egypt. Therefore, the Chinese separated the domestic cat Mao and the forest cat Li.
The word "mao" consists of three characters that mean field, grass and monster, which is fair, because the cat protected the rice fields from mice and was a real monster for them. And “mao” is consonant with the Chinese word for “eighty,” which is why cats are often featured on greeting cards. According to one legend, Mao was bought by the sorcerer Miau-Kuau, who could resurrect the dead and heal people, so the cat became his companion. Also, the Chinese, like the Egyptians, determined time by cat's eyes.
Li was associated with the goddess Li Shou. When the gods created the earth, Li Shou volunteered to look after their creation. However, she wanted more to sleep under the cherry tree or play with flower petals than to watch what was happening. Then Li Shou refused both the position and the ability to speak, and proposed appointing a person in charge. However, man did not understand the gods, so Li Shou became the liaison between him and the creators.
There was also a cat goddess in China, Yifang Zhen, the leader of a legion of cats. However, besides this data, all that is known about her is that she and her legion fought for one of the ancient Chinese dynasties.
COOL: WAR CATS - HEROES OF WORLD WORLD II
At this time, furry animals, thanks to their amazing sensitivity and intuition, saved the lives of their owners countless times. It was by the behavior of the furry sensers - anxiety, raised fur, frightened screams - that people determined the approaching danger of bombing. While man-made devices only scanned the air for a bomb threat, living, furry “radars” were already alerting people to the danger, thanks to which countless lives were saved.
Faith the cat Faith the cat from St Augustine and St Faith's Church in London was the first cat to be awarded the Mary Dickin Medal. This honorary award is equivalent to the highest military award in England - the Victoria Cross. On September 9, 1940, Faith saved herself and her kitten from bombs by hiding with him in the basement three days before the German raid. The house collapsed and burned, but the fearless cat remained close to her kitten. She was rescued early in the morning, when the ruins were still burning. The medal, with the inscription “For Unshakable Courage,” was presented to Faith personally by Maria Deakin.
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Simon It is also necessary to remember the legendary cat Simon, who served on the British Royal Navy ship Amethyst. He not only protected the sailors' provisions and the ship itself from rats, but also maintained the morale of everyone - from the sailors to the captain. During the Chinese capture of a ship on the Yangtze River, the cat was very seriously wounded, but not only survived and continued to perform its duties, but also began to visit the ship's infirmary to maintain the spirit of the wounded. According to the recollections of the sailors, this example of perseverance and devotion was the best moral support for them. The cat survived both the war days and the injury... But he could not survive the return to his homeland. Upon returning to the UK, Simon, like any of the animals imported into the country at that time, was sent to quarantine - to an animal shelter. No exception was made for the hero. Simon spent several days there, contracted a viral infection and died... The cat was awarded the Mary Dickin Medal and posthumous honors...
Saviors, rat-catchers and miners
During the war, the need for cats was great - there were practically none left in Leningrad, rats attacked the already meager food supplies. Four carriages of smoky cats were brought to Leningrad. The train with the “meowing division,” as the Leningraders called these cats, was reliably guarded. Cats began to clear the city of rodents. By the time the blockade was broken, almost all the basements were cleared of rats.
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There were legends about perhaps the only cat who survived the siege, Maxim. In the post-war period, whole excursions were taken to the house of its owners - everyone wanted to look at this miracle. Maxim died of old age in 1957. During this monstrous war, no trace remained of the entire vast population of German dwarf cats - kangaroos... The breed was completely exterminated... For the cats that saved the greatest number of human lives during wartime, a special medal “We also serve our homeland” was established. This award is considered one of the most honorable in the animal world. True, she, unfortunately, did not return the cats’ lives...
During the Great Patriotic War, a Soviet fighter pilot was shot down by enemies in an air battle. The plane caught fire, the pilot was injured, but he managed to bail out. However, he landed in territory captured by the Nazis. Somehow, with the last of his strength, he reached the old windmill, climbed inside along the shabby steps and lost consciousness. And when I woke up, I saw some green moving dots in the darkness. At first I thought it was from weakness, but, looking closer, I realized it was cats.
The pilot spent two days at the mill among the cats, periodically losing consciousness. And suddenly I heard voices. I was happy, I thought they were villagers. However, when the voices got closer, I realized: the Germans were coming. Cold sweat appeared on the wounded man's forehead. Hiding, through the gap between the boards, the pilot watched the Germans. The brave sergeant major stepped onto the creaky steps, hit the door with his fist... And then a wild cat scream shook the air, forcing the fascist to back away. But that was not all! The leader of the cats, a black cat, instantly jumped on the German’s head and began tearing his face with its claws.
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The Germans left. And the next day the Soviet partisans came, made a stretcher, and laid the wounded man on it. And when they got ready to leave, at the pilot’s request, they left small pieces of lard for the cats: after all, they, like the partisans, were rescuers.
But a resident of the village of Novye Achakasy, Kanashsky district, Kuzmina K.R., who survived the war as a child and was left an orphan, told a different story. “We had a cat when we were kids. My father was taken to war. My mother was often sick and could not work on the collective farm. The family has four children. We could have starved to death if it weren't for our cat. She would go out at night and bring back not mice in her teeth, but pieces of meat and bread. Not for himself, but for us. She left it on the table and left again. Probably from some closets. Mother took the meat, washed it and cooked soup for us. This is how we lived through the winter, and then the older children began working on the collective farm.”
Legends about cats Japanese
The Japanese endowed many animals with magical abilities, and the cat did not escape this fate - it became a bakeneko werewolf. Any cat can become a bakeneko if it fulfills one of the following conditions: it weighs 1 kan (3.75 kg), has a long tail, or lives to be 13 years old. Moreover, long-tailed cats had a tail that forked, and they turned into “forked cats” - nekomata, a special separate type of bakeneko. According to legends, werecats could eat their owner and take his form or revive the dead by jumping over him. The bakeneko were also capable of creating ghostly fireballs and walking on two legs. Most often, cats are possessed by the spirits of dead women who want to take revenge on their husbands. This is probably why Japanese bobtails appeared in the land of the rising sun - cats of an elegant build, with short tails, almost incapable of becoming a bakeneko.
But there is also a lucky cat in Japan - maneki-neko. The traditional maneki-neko is a figurine of a white cat with or without red and black spots, which holds one or two paws raised in a gesture of invitation (calling for money, clients, luck). Sometimes in the lowered paw of the talisman lies a gold coin worth 10 million ryo; even more often it is decorated with a breastplate similar to the breastplate of Buddha-Jizo, the patron saint of children and travelers. There are three versions of the appearance of maneki-neko. In the first, the cat began to invite guests to an abandoned monastery, and thanks to her, the monastery flourished again; in the second, a cat saved a highly qualified prostitute from a snake; in the third, she appeared in a dream to a poor housewife, who kicked her out, and advised her to sculpt cats out of clay, which ensured the old woman a comfortable old age. And Maneki-neko took the coin from the legend about a cat who stole two gold coins from his rich owner for his sick poor neighbor who fed the cat fish.
Another Japanese belief says that a white cat with a spot on its back is the transmigrated soul of a person, because such spots look like a kimono.
Life isn't the same without a cat. History of cats in animation
Evgeny Spitsyn, especially for 2x2, suddenly wanted to talk about the most significant and interesting cats in the field of animation. Some of them are very famous, some are not at all. Moreover, we will not touch on domestic cats in this collection, because you already know everything about them. Well, let's not pull the cat by the tail, let's get started.
FELIX
Let's start with the oldies. And this old man is perhaps the oldest of all , because he is the very first popularized cartoon character, for whom tons of merch was created, and the first cartoon character for which a comic was made. And this legendary figure is Felix the cat .
Most people in Russia are familiar with it thanks to the NES game. But in animation, it all started with the 1919 silent short “Feline Follies,” in which Felix appeared under the name Master Tom. The cartoon runs about four minutes, but it took about six months to produce. Pat Sullivan, animator and co-creator of Felix, had little experience in animation, a new and emerging art form at the time, which resulted in a nervous breakdown and a five-week “rest” in the hospital . What kind of sacrifices would you make for the sake of cats?
The ending of the cartoon itself is also not very funny. —
Master Tom commits suicide.
Despite such sad events, the audience fell in love with the cartoon, and new episodes were soon released. In one of them, Master Tom was renamed Felix, which in Latin means “happy”, “lucky” .
Sullivan was later joined by Otto Messmer, who came up with the classic Felix design. Already in those days, Felix acquired a couple of distinctive features . His tail could turn into essentially anything: a club, a hook, a brush, a question mark and an exclamation mark. His famous thoughtful pacing also appeared during this time. All these features, coupled with the cat’s mischievous character, pleased the audience, and Felix quickly gained popularity. Comics, tons of merch, your own balloon for the Thanksgiving Day parade, appearances in the series of Hollywood stars. Felix was doing very well. But not for long.
When Disney and Warner Bros. began to use sound in their works, Sullivan flatly refused to do so, and they gradually began to forget about Felix . After some failures, Felix went through a couple of design changes, and they came up with a magical bag that could turn into anything and, in essence, replaced the unusual “functions” of the tail. At the same time, the cat tried his hand at musical and color cartoons, but, unfortunately, he did not find much popularity. At the moment, the rights to Felix belong to NBC, but they are in no hurry to use him in any way.
By the way, this year the tailed one turned one hundred years old! Who knows what Disney and Looney Tunes cartoons would have been like without Felix, because they borrowed many ideas from him.
VOLUME
You definitely know the next important cat from the world of animation. This is Tom from Tom and Jerry . In the very first cartoon, 1940's Puss Gets the Boot, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the famous animal couple were named Jasper and Jinx. The authors immediately found the winning formula -
inventive slapstick and tons of cartoon violence accompanied by the sounds of classical instruments.
Tom and Jerry quickly became popular and were even nominated for an Oscar more times than other cartoon characters of the time.
Yes, yes, they beat out both Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, taking as many as seven awards to their paws. And all this in the era of the Hanna-Barbera studio. However, in the mid-50s, television began to flourish, and people began to go to the cinema less and less, and therefore animation in cartoons became much cheaper and easier. Tom and Jerry also had to be cut, and this had a very bad effect on the studio's income. She even had to put on additional showings of old short films in theaters, which, ironically, brought in much more money than the new, cut ones. One “fine” day, Joseph received a call from the main office and was told that everyone needed to be fired. But Hanna and Barbera did not give up and opened their own studio, which gave us a bunch of different characters, including Scooby-Doo, the Flintstones, the Jetsons and many others.
Then “Tom and Jerry” changed hands : the style changed, the main animators changed - Gene Deitch, Chuck Jones, the return of Hanna and Barbera - turning the characters into children (a trend in the 90s), many special issues and countless feature films of varying degrees of lousiness. "Tom and Jerry" changed many times , was mute and suddenly became speechless, but the element of cartoon violence was never lost. They are still loved, they are still widely heard, but they are no longer as wildly popular as in the 40s.
In 2020, we are waiting for a hybrid of live action, animation and who knows what else. The Looney Tunes shorts have been revived and they look amazing, so maybe the beloved cat and mouse will be given a chance too? Maybe we're headed for a slapstick revolution? We'll watch.
GARFIELD
Another cat that often appears in the media space is, of course, Garfield . A plump couch potato who loves lasagna and despises Mondays. We're all a little Garfield at heart. The story of the red cat began in 1978, when Jim Davis was trying to come up with a commercially successful character. While all sorts of mice, rabbits, dogs and cats were competing for screen time, there were no prominent cats in newspaper strips and comics. In addition, Jim grew up on a farm with as many as 25 cats. Davis borrowed his character and name from his grandfather, James Garfield Davis, who, according to Jim himself, was “a large and grumpy man.”
Garfield quickly became a commercial success —
within three years it was published in more than 850 newspapers. To cope with the distribution of merch, Davis founded Paws, inc. And a few years later, Garfield was published in so many newspapers and magazines that he managed to get into the Guinness Book of Records.
But Garfield did not appear in the cartoon role very often. In fact, there were only 12 specials , four of which won Emmy awards, Garfield and Friends, which lasted seven seasons, and The Garfield Show, which lasted five seasons and went into indefinite hiatus.
This year, Davis sold his company, and now we are waiting for a new animated series about Garfield from the Nickelodeon channel . It is not known what exactly will happen, but it is good that the red-haired lazy man is not forgotten to this day: either his alternative version will appear in “Rick and Morty”, or the collective creativity transforms him in the form of universal all-consuming evil.
DOMESTIC CATS
And now let’s move on to less famous and important, but no less cool cats. The short animated series "House Cats" was created by British scientific screenwriters Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil. An extremely underrated animated series that clearly demonstrates what would happen if cats could talk and were people's best sidekicks.
Imagine, you come home from work, and a tailed animal with a gamepad in its paws is waiting for you and offers to hack into something. And then he talks about his romantic adventures in the alley and the problems he got into because of catnip. This is roughly how cats behave in the series. They do very human things, but at the same time they have masters. A simple idea, but it was executed just perfectly. The animated series is aimed at a more adult audience, although it was initially advertised as a children's series. If you haven’t seen it, we highly recommend it.
FRITZ
And the last cat for today is designed for an adult audience. We will talk about the feature film “The Adventures of Fritz the Cat,” which was directed by Ralph Bakshi based on the comics by Robert Crumb. It is the first cartoon to receive an adult rating in the United States . The cartoon tells about the life of young people in New York in the 60s, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. The cat Fritz himself adheres to the views of free love and encourages people to enjoy life.
One day, Bakshi accidentally came across Crumb's comics and decided to make a feature-length film based on them, as he believed that their views converged. And although Crumb was initially positive, he did not like the final product at all. Working on the painting was accompanied by constant problems. Ralph, for example, had a hard time finding financing because all the major distributors believed that only Disney could create a quality cartoon, and Fritz was filled with scenes for adults.
As a result, Warner Bros. agreed to help with money. But when about 15 minutes of the cartoon were ready, they asked to soften the scenes of a sexual nature and offered to invite stars to voice-act, to which Bakshi refused, thereby losing funding. However, he managed to find a studio called Cinemation Industries, which specialized in grindhouse.
In general, Bakshi constantly followed his line during filming and recording. Almost all the dialogue was recorded on the streets of New York with extraneous noise to make the picture more realistic. Of course, the sound engineers complained about this and asked to re-record everything in the studio, but naturally they were refused. Many artists left the project because they did not want to paint obscenity or excessive violence. To save money, we even had to abandon storyboards; in addition, almost no pencil tests were used. To draw the backgrounds, a completely new technology for that time was used: first, New York was photographed with a camera, and then the contours were transferred to film using a capillary pen.
But still, the film was a resounding success, liked by critics, brought in a lot of money and gave impetus to the emergence of new cartoons for adults. It was Bakshi’s perseverance that allowed the cat Fritz to be born, who proudly carries the flag with an 18+ rating.
Mrrr meow
Yours Twice two.
Legends about cats Thai
According to Thai beliefs, cats were possessed by the souls of the dead, so they were buried in crypts along with their owners, but so that the animals could get out. For the same reason, cats were often present at the coronations of the kings of Siam and the burial ceremonies of Buddhist teachers.
Thai and Siamese cats often have knots on their tails, now considered a breeding defect caused by inbreeding, but these cats used to be called "royal". The fact is that there is a legend about the royal daughters who strung their rings on the tails of their beloved pets while bathing. To prevent these rings from falling, the cats “grew” knots.
About 20 breeds of cats were known in Thailand, a book of poems was even written about them, and therefore legends here were formed not only about the well-known Siamese and Thais, but also about others - for example, about the Korats. Korats in the region where they come from regularly participate in rituals to bring rain and are considered a good wedding gift as they promote fertility.
Cats in Ancient Egypt
The cat is a solar symbol, meaning royalty. In the mythology of the Egyptians, the cat was believed to be the sun that looked into the underworld at night, because both of them could see in the dark. In this state they were called Mau, which means “seer.”
The cat is a sacred animal of the sun god in Egypt. Legend has it that every night God turns into a red cat and swims across the Nile to illuminate the whole world at dawn.
American cat legends
As already mentioned, domestic cats came to America late, but there were always wild cougars, jaguars, lynxes, etc., and therefore some of the beliefs about them were transferred to cats. So, in Northern Mexico and Arizona there is a legend about a cactus cat covered with thorns and making pulque vodka. Such a cat, if he makes pulque and gets drunk, will bring a lot of trouble to those who fall under his paw.
But in Nevada, a cat was once tried for killing a baby; this trial was associated with a legend brought by settlers from England - cats take the breath away from children. But most likely, big cats could actually crush weak children while sleeping together.
At the end of the 20th century in the USA, thanks to psychologist Paul Dame, William Briton and Dr. Wallace Syfe, a legend arose that cats, after death, end up on the magical Rainbow Bridge, where they live in warmth and care, waiting to meet their owners when they come. term.
Argentines also have their own legend; they believe that the mysterious Ombre Gatto (Shadow Cat) or Catman, a werecat who is not averse to attacking people, wanders the streets of cities.
Legends about cats are numerous and varied, but they all agree on one thing: cats are amazing creatures, our guides to the other world.
Cats are mysterious creatures with mystical powers. Over the many years of coexistence, people have never been able to unravel the secret of their abilities. Cat magic
draws its strength from the world of spirits, while being completely safe for people.
In the cultures of many nations you can find references to the supernatural powers of cats. These animals are associated with manifestations of the other world and witchcraft. It is believed that the cat protects the house from dark forces, negative energy and evil creatures.
Cats are mysterious creatures. Sometimes it may seem that it is not the person who is the owner of the purring creature, but quite the opposite. They gradually tame their human: they put marks on his skin, imbue things with a unique aroma and do not hesitate to use the pet’s skills for personal purposes. At the same time, cats take custody of their people and protect them from invisible offenders.
In ancient times, the cat was respected in many countries. She managed to achieve the greatest respect in Ancient Egypt. There she was revered as a sacred animal. Many representatives of the pantheon of Egyptian gods, such as Bast, Bubastis, Isis, Sekhmet, Tifnut, had cat incarnations. Even the main god of the pantheon, the lord of the Sun, Ra, in cat form, defeated the terrible serpent.
In Russian literature, one of the most famous characters is Pushkin's learned cat. The all-knowing animal lives in the branches of a mighty oak tree - which is a symbol of wisdom and the Tree of World Life. The path that the cat travels day and night is the road of knowledge and self-improvement.
The magical abilities of cats have given rise to many legends and superstitions associated with these animals, which continue to this day. Along with traditional signs about bad luck and witches, new exotic ones appear.
Thus, the version that cats are spies of an alien race, brought to earth to spy on people, is gaining popularity. Extrasensory abilities help them complete their mission.
According to the newfangled version, cats are creatures of a higher level of spiritual development than humans. Their goal is not to establish contact with human civilization. They are simply collecting information. It is the fact of extraterrestrial origin that explains the oddities of furry predators. At night, they often gather on the roof in large groups, and can sit for hours in complete silence.
Mythical cats
Hi all
Today I want to tell you about cats as mythical creatures.
Why are cats often considered mystical animals? What do they have that other animals don't? The Egyptians worshiped cats, the Europeans feared them, and the Japanese were worried that they would start walking on their hind legs and talking like people. Apparently, representatives of all cultures of the world will agree that cats are the most mysterious and mystical creatures on the planet.
Bakeneko
Bakeneko are mystical cats from Japanese folklore. In the first years of its life, the bakeneko is no different from an ordinary domestic cat. Then she develops supernatural abilities. And usually in the twelfth or thirteenth year of life, the bakeneko begins to walk on its hind legs and talk like a person.
Adult bakeneko are able to take on human form, and evil bakeneko can eat their master and take his place. But not all of these adult cats are evil. Some of them are quite carefree and like to dance with scarves on their heads.
However, these kinder cats still cause trouble. At the end of their tails there is a magical fire that will instantly set anything they come in contact with on fire. Adult bakeneko are also capable of awakening zombie slaves. Thus, unlucky owners may wake up one night and see their deceased neighbors licking milk from the kitchen floor.
The superstitious Japanese were very worried that their cats would turn into bakeneko, so they sometimes abandoned their pets to their fate. According to another superstition, cats with very long tails inevitably became bakeneko. To prevent this, the owners cut off their tails.
Bakeneko Nekomata
:point_down: :point_down:
Nekomata
With age, bakeneko becomes even more monstrous. Once she reaches old age, her tail splits into two parts. This means that the bakeneko turns into a nekomata.
Among bakeneko there are sometimes good individuals, but nekomata are not good: they are all evil and are not averse to feasting on human flesh. They know how to make people submit to their will. The most frightening thing is that nekomata can haunt people, turning into the ghosts of their deceased loved ones.
The strongest nekomata live in the mountains. They are said to have the eyes of a cat and the body of a dog, although they can transform into anyone. There are people who claim to have seen a nekomata with their own eyes.
. Big ears
In Scottish folklore there is a demonic cat known as Big Ears; he is said to be a descendant of Irusan, the mythical king of cats. The Scots believed that Big Ears was an oracle that granted wishes, so pagan spellcasters often performed a barbaric ritual to avoid summoning him.
For days, they spit-roasted live cats until an army of demonic cats appeared to put an end to it. She was led by Big Ears, who fulfilled any wishes or predicted the future.
This ritual
practiced throughout the 17th century, although it was condemned by the church. It is known that the last time it was performed was in March 1824. The process was described in detail by a London newspaper.
Cats with a club tail
The club-tailed cat is a wild cat that is rumored to be native to the northern United States of America. In appearance it is very similar to an ankylosaur. The club-tailed cat uses a huge spiked ball at the end of its tail to kill prey.
This cat can sit on a tree all day, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to pass under it. She jumps on top of her and beats her to death with her mace tail. During mating season, cats of this species use their unusual tails to attract females by banging them on hollow logs, making loud noises.
Relatives of club-tailed cats are a special species of cat that is found only in the southern United States. They also like to hide in a tree waiting for their prey. They have a long, rope-like tail, at the end of which there is a ball, smooth on one side and spiked on the other. When a prey passes by, these cats first hit it on the head with the smooth side of the ball in order to disorient it, after which they finish it off with spikes and drag it up a tree.
That's all until we meet again
Hemingway's legendary cats
Every year, thousands of people visit the Ernest Hemingway House Museum to see the desk where the novels A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and other famous works were written. An additional attraction is fifty cats roaming around an area of approximately half a hectare.
All of them are descendants of Snowball, a cat who was given to the writer in 1935 by a sailor he knew. Snowball had an extra toe on each paw, and this feature, the so-called polydactyly, was considered useful for the cat...
Over the years, the fame of non-standard cats has almost equaled the fame of their owner. “Half of the visitors to the house museum come here for the cats,” admits Mary, custodian of Ernest Hemingway’s legacy.
Cats roam freely through the rooms where Hemingway wrote his novels A Farewell to Arms! and “To have and not to have,” and use a feeder that is accessible 24 hours.
The museum has a special provision and money for feeding the “heirs”. Cats quietly snore right on the bed of the great writer.
The cats' second favorite place is the holy of holies - the writer's office.
This drinking bowl for cats was made by the writer himself.
The house-museum has been fighting for many years with the state authorities, where it is allowed to keep no more than four cats and only behind closed doors or in cages. It wasn't until a few years ago that officials finally recognized Hemingway's cats as historical national treasures.
The names of Snowball's heirs became more pompous with each passing decade. Among his living descendants are gray tabby Gary Truman, tortoiseshell tricolor Gertrude Stein, white-breasted beauty Audrey Hepburn and smoky Sophia Loren. Black and white Charlie Chaplin is most similar to his namesake. There is also a red-haired, nameless Ivan, who should not be confused with the also red-haired Pablo Picasso. Ivan likes to keep watch at the cash register.
The cats also have their own cemetery, where the memory of each four-legged inhabitant of the house-museum is kept.
Six-toed cats differ from their counterparts in the number of “toes” on their paws; there may be 6 of them, and some even have 7 or 8. It is impossible to identify any other characteristic features that unite all living Hemingway cats. They are of all kinds and proportions. Well, except that everyone equally calmly perceives annoying tourists pressing on cats with cameras and requests to show their paws. Some cats still prefer to rest in the bushes, away from curious spectators.
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